'That's the issue': Fresh details emerge in Quinton de Kock furore
A number of reasons are being floated for Quinton de Kock's stunning decision to withdraw from South Africa's T20 World Cup clash with West Indies in defiance of a team directive to take the knee.
The former captain's immediate future with South Africa remains under a heavy cloud after he made himself unavailable for their win over the West Indies.
In a chaotic three hours before Tuesday's match, South African players were told they must take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement after individuals took various postures before their previous game against Australia.
'HOW RACIST DO YOU HAVE TO BE': ABC host lashes de Kock
'GLAD PERSONALLY': Steve Smith responds to Ben Stokes bombshell
De Kock had declined to take a knee in the past calling it "my own personal opinion", with Cricket South Africa later confirming that was the reason for his absence.
The cricket world is still waiting to hear from de Kock to explain his decision, but a number of theories have emerged about why he has stepped away.
A number of reports claim de Kock is protesting the unilateral decision of Cricket South Africa to make kneeling mandatory and is angry there was no discussions with players beforehand.
South African journalist Lungani Zama is also reported that de Kock isn't opposed to the Black Lives Matter movement but sees the kneeling gesture as an act of 'tokenism'.
“From my conversations with him (de Kock) before, he sees it as a token gesture which has been watered down to almost mean nothing. It’s something that you have to do to be seen to be doing the right thing,” Zama said.
“His preference is to actually do the right thing, which he does in the way that he lives, the way that he interacts, and the way that he treats people of all races.
“It’s the token gesture for him that’s the issue.
“I’ll qualify it by saying Quinton de Kock, if you’re asking me if he’s racist or against Black Lives Matter, I’ll unequivocally say no because I know him personally.
“I know the work that he’s done to improve the lives and experiences of black players and black people around him for years and years, long before Black Lives Matter was a trend on social media.”
But according to the Sydney Morning Herald, there are sections of the South African camp that believe de Kock is still angry at CSA after being stripped of the captaincy earlier this year.
“This issue should have been dealt with a while ago and not at an ICC event, where it is a crisis,” South African Cricketer’s Association boss Andrew Breetzke told ESPN Cricinfo.
Cloud around Quinton de Kock's immediate future
De Kock has previously addressed his stance on kneeling.
“I’ll keep my reasons (for not kneeling) to myself and it is my own personal opinion,” he said.
“It is everyone’s decision and no one is forced to do something and that’s the way I see things.”
Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed and Aussie great Adam Gilchrist were among those to question an edict being put on players to take a knee.
"I think they did (over-reach)," Speed told SEN.
"My personal view is cricket boards should not be able to go that far and direct players on ethical or moral issues."
Seven months after losing the captaincy, there are now questions over de Kock's future.
Already there are suggestions he could be approached by Big Bash clubs if he opted out of South Africa's summer.
That move was backed by David Warner, who believed he could be a drawcard for Australia's Twenty20 tournament.
"He'd be great for the Big Bash," Warner said.
"There's a lot of other leagues around the world that other South African players are participating in.
"That's obviously a decision for each individual but it would be good for any international player to come down to Australia and participate."
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
